


Scream into the Silence

by CyberSearcher



Series: Cryptid AU [4]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blizzard!AU, Cryptid!AU, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, cole angst, no beta we die like zane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24408130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberSearcher/pseuds/CyberSearcher
Summary: Cole prided himself on being the most patient on the team. Granted, that wasn't a high margin to beat. And even he has his limits.
Relationships: Cole & Zane (Ninjago), Cole/Zane (Ninjago), Kai & Nya (Ninjago)
Series: Cryptid AU [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1752718
Comments: 3
Kudos: 89





	Scream into the Silence

**Author's Note:**

> Minor warnings for insensitive talk about dead parents. And potentially heavy emotions. Just incase I'm putting this here becasue while I may be a Gremlin, I am a Gremlin with Standards.

Cole worked in the kitchen with his lips caught in a vice clamp. To his right, Kai and Jay were arguing again over what spices to use in their fried rice. He thought they’d settled on making stir fry. Cole couldn’t find it in himself to argue. 

Nya was still out training with Sensei Wu - he still didn’t know where he’d gone - which meant both her brother and her crush were at each others throats. 

“Guys, look, you can just put all the spice in your own bowl Kai. We’ll just make it plain for now.” He offered.

“But that’s not the point!” He insisted, waving a bottle of sriracha. “Besides, it tastes better when you cook it in the flavour.”

“How does that even - “

“Excuse me if I like to keep my tastebuds. Not all of us have a magma pool for a mouth!” 

Cole pinched his nose, careful not to rub grease into his eyes. “Nevermind.” He muttered. 

Nya came back to a quietly fuming Cole who’d left the kitchen and was currently setting the table. The task wasn’t as engaging as cooking, but Cole could keep his anger in check by making sure he didn’t crack the delicate china.

“What happened now?” She asked, setting her armour off to the side. 

“Nothing.” Cole flinched when he heard something metal hit the ground. “Yet.” 

She gave him a sympathetic look. “I’ll try to keep Kai in check during dinner. And I’ll persuade him to keep most of the spice out of your food.” 

“Thanks.”

Kai and Jay did actually manage to make a pretty good fried rice, not that Cole would admit that to either. Their egos were already bloated as it was. Their Master soon entered while Nya was slapping Kai’s hand away from tossing a handful of pepper flakes into Jay’s bowl.

“I am glad to hear that you defended the village in my absence, students," He said quietly, pouring tea for each of them, “however, your coordination has been lacking.”

Cole kept his head low, even when Jay started complaining about him. 

“Oh come on! Boulder brain wouldn’t know fun if it ran up and kicked him in the - “ 

Nya coughed loudly. He did quiet down, but still argued his point. 

“Look, yea maybe some crates got scorched but nobody got hurt.” Kai spoke up. 

“Perhaps.” Wu looked over the rim of his teacup. “But what is more prudent, to harvest before the storms, or after?” 

Kai sighed and gestured to Cole with his chopsticks. “We might have stepped on some toes, but we know what we’re doing. Alright?” 

“Are you guys not taking this seriously?” He snapped back. “There were kids there! Children! What if one of them got burned!” 

“But they didn’t.” Kai insisted. “I told you, I had it under control.”

“It’s not like I went around zapping people’s hair on end.” Jay added whimsically. “C’mon, what’s the point in saving the world if we’re not enjoying it?” 

“What’s the point if there’s no parents for a kid to go home to?” Cole added. 

Kai narrowed his eyes. “Listen, those people get the luxury of going home to a happy go-lucky family. The least they could do is not complain if things get a little spicy.”

“You're joking.” 

Nya looked torn between arguing with her brother and siding with Cole. Their Sensei looked on with that quiet aura of contemplation. Cole looked to him for something to say to break this up. 

“The circumstances of one's birth do not determine their future. A family is made by those who you choose to be part of it.” He muttered. 

“Yea? Well then I guess you’ll have to share my parents then.” Jay smirked, playfully elbowing Nya. 

Cole just stared at everyone at the table. He looked down at his chopsticks and found one was splintering. Carefully, with painstaking care, he set them over his unfinished bowl and stood. 

“Thanks, but I’m not really that hungry.” 

He stood quick and practically ran to the kitchen to dump his food. 

“What? Feeling homesick? Probably doesn’t taste the same as Rock Mama’s pebble soup.” 

Cole froze. 

Something was stinging his foot. He slowly looked down to see a shard of ceramic cut through his sock. The dark teen jumped when he saw Master Wu step beside him and set a hand on his shoulder. 

“Cole - “

His heart was too loud. Blood was running hot under his skin. The touch burned like iron. 

He broke away into a sprint. Cole stopped by their bedrooms and tore off his blankets. Then out of spite, took one of Kai and Jay’s pillows. 

The room felt too small. The smell of ashes, ozone and sweat stung his nose. 

Cole couldn’t bring himself to put on shoes as he ran through the Monastery. His foot felt warm and wet, he was probably trailing blood behind him. He’d have to bind his wound so the others couldn’t follow. 

He shoved past the doors and into the cool night air. The endless stars welcomed him and tamed the fire under his skin. He took this moment to rip off a rag from his blanket and clean up his foot. Thankfully it wasn’t a deep cut and had stopped bleeding for now. 

Even with his injured foot, it didn’t impede the teen as he made his way down the mountain. When he came to the sheer cliffside that led to the cave, Cole spared a glance back up to the Monastary. 

Nya was outside, he though he saw Kai too.

“Where did he go?” Nya worried aloud. 

He could almost swear he saw Kai yawn. “Not like he won’t be back. He’ll be fine.” 

Cole turned back towards Blizzard’s cave. 

He tied the pillows over his back like a makeshift sling. It was clumsy and dangerous but Cole didn’t care. Shimmying down the precarious rocks, he ignored the burning ache in his foot and leaned against the stone.

“Bliz?” He called out, voice just on the border of cracking. “Blizzard are you there?” 

Cole saw the cryptid kneeling on a small bed of snow, playing with the rubix cube and frozen paintings. When he saw the earth ninja, his eyes lit up and he glided toward him. Blizzards eyes were so bright, his mouth curved up in the same tiny, sweet and hopeful smile. He reached out for his hand. 

Somehow, that broke him. 

His legs suddenly collapsed under him. Cole squeezed his eyes tight and inhaled a shallow and ragged breath. A rush of cold shot up his arm and that wrenched another gasping sound from his throat. 

“Bliz… g-god I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry you’ve gotta deal with this.” He looked up and gave a watery smile. “You can’t even tell me if you want me to just stop - “ 

Blizzard threw his hands over his shoulders. Cole’s train of thought screeched when he felt something smooth and soft press against the crown of his forehead. 

He didn’t know what to make of that. Cole didn’t even know if Blizzard knew what he was doing. The cryptid held him tight, frost and ice rippling over him and dulling the raging heat that burned his chest from the inside out. 

His throat went tight. Blizzard pressed a cool hand to the back of his head, cradling him against his core. The pulse of light and sound was more steady than any heartbeat or drum. 

Cole sucked in another breath, then exhaled. The first tear slowly dripped down his cheek. It froze against Blizzards shell. He cried in slow, steady pulses. He closed his eyes and let the well of sadness pour itself out. 

The hand at the back of his neck carefully moved to his face. Cole could feel frost reaching over his cheek, down his neck and over his eye. The touch prickled his damp skin. He leaned into the touch. 

He soon realized his entire body was layered in a coating of delicate white. Soft crinkles broke through the silence as Cole stretched up to look at Blizzard properly. 

“You don’t like seeing me hurt.” 

The winter cryptid nodded, smoothing a finger over the frozen tracks of tears. Despite the chill of night and open air, Cole felt comfortably warm. He slowly stood up, sparkles of frost falling off him in waves like stars. 

“I wanna lie down… is that okay?” 

Blizzard nodded. He led them to the same patch of snow. Cole undid his sling and laid the blankets and pillows over that. He smoothed down the surface - none of the snow underneath melted into the fabric - then sheepishly patted the area beside him. 

He relaxed again into the arms of Blizzard, both folded protective over his chest. Cole tried to stem his crying, but the tears kept dripping. He breathed another shaking sigh. 

“I… I don’t know why I’m still torn up about this.” He said quietly. “I don’t know how much you heard but… Kai made a stupid, stupid fucking joke about parents and I just… I needed to see you. Does that make sense?”

He leaned up and watched Blizzards face for an answer. His head was tilted again, mouth slightly parted in silent surprise. 

“I guess it’s kinda funny. No offence. But, I just csn’t understand why I’m still so… effected by the fact that… my mom is gone. Kai and Nya’s parents practically abandoned them, they should be the ones upset. Then the whole mess with the village and he and a Jay being so… so careless! 

Cole could still see the kid hiding under the arms of his parents. He had green eyes. The earth ninja reached up to pinch at his nose. 

“I don’t get it. They know what it’s like to lose someone and they just don’t seem to care!” 

Blizzard gently tapped at Coles chest, then made a cracking motion. He pointed upward and made the same motion twice. He then took both pointer fingers, held them together and separated them. The teen rubbed at his chin. 

“Heart… break? Sadness?” 

Blizzard nodded. 

“Then… separate? Apart?” 

Another nod. 

“You think that we’re both sad… because we’ve both had part of us taken apart?” Cole asked. 

Blizzard nodded, then shook his head. He made the cracking motion over Coles heart again and made the parting gesture again. 

“You think I’m sad… in separate ways?” 

Blizzard nodded again. 

“I mean, I guess.” Cole sighed. “I kinda got… over mom dying faster than my dad did. At least I think I did. I remember him crying for weeks after the funeral and I just… didn’t. I mean I did, but not like dad.” 

He dragged a finger through the snow. “Maybe I’m still kinda messed up about it… is that okay? I know I got it a lot better than Jay and leagues better than Kai and Nya. Do you think it’s alright if I’m still crying about mom?” 

Blizzard closed his eyes and lowered his head. Cole felt a familiar chill across his chest, the armour was back on. He felt the same cool touch graze his forehead. A few last, sniffling tears dripped down his face. 

“Thank you.” He said with fragile breaths. “Bliz, thank you so much. I don’t know what I did to deserve you I -“ 

A finger pressed against his lip. Cole could taste snowflakes and winter air as frost melted and seeped onto his tongue. 

“Okay. But still, just… thank you. For caring so much.” 

Blizzard held him firm against his chest. The frost and layers ice acted as a surprisingly good insulator, nothing amazingly warm, but Cole preferred this anyways. Slowly his eyes felt droopy and he leaned further back with a yawn. 

“Hope you like using me as a teddy bear Bliz.” He huffed out in amusement. 

The cryptid was still nuzzled against his hair, Cole could see snowflakes in the corner of his vision. Then, a low, creaking sound like floorboards and old hinges. He turned and saw Blizzard's lips parted beside him, eyes flickering in concentration. 

“Bliz? Hey, it’s alright. You don’t need to say anything.” 

He shook his head firmly. The last of the frost around his lips chipped and fell away. 

“Za- _a_ n-n-e.” 

Cole blinked. 

“Zane?” 

Blizzard choked out another scraping sound, then smiled at Cole with the light of the sun in his eyes and on his lips. 

Cole reached up to brush the back of his hand against Blizzard - Zane’s - cheek. The cryptid leaned into his touch. 

“Hi Zane.”

**Author's Note:**

> End Notes; I’m gonna be honest, this fic was good catharsis for Cole and myself. Not that I don’t have such big, looming emotional baggage. No, I’m well off. Still, I can just… I dunno, relate, to just feeling like shit.
> 
> And I have this habit of trying to understand why I or others feel just plain shitty. I think ‘I don’t have a right to feel this bad, there’s a legitimate reason why I feel like this and if I solve it then I’ll feel better.’ 
> 
> I guess what I’m trying to say is, you can feel bad. And that can be healthy. Give yourself a chance to cry to some angsty folk music at 12:54 AM. Rant in a discord group chat. Just, say that you feel like shit and go ‘You know what, yea, I feel bad and it’s sucks. But I can get better. It’ll get better, even if I’m not better right now.’
> 
> So, to future me and anyone else who might read this. Good luck.


End file.
